Die for You
by MonkeysTotallyRock
Summary: What does it mean to love? To give up everything one has for another... To sacrifice his life? Naruto Uzumaki would die without a second thought for someone. [PERMANENT HIATUS]
1. Prologue

Well, guys, this chapter is short, but it's a prologue. Future chapters will be longer, I promise. Anyways, the idea was given to me at a narsaku fan club called heaven and earth. (visit profile for details.) Anyways, without further ado, let us begin.

* * *

The sun blazed down on Konoha today – it was 110 degrees. Naruto stared through sweaty blue pearls at his opponent, Rock Lee. The ground was covered in mud and dirt, and the air was stinking of sweat. But all this didn't bother Naruto one bit. _It_ was hungry. He hadn't fought in ages, and the kyuubi inside him needed blood... It was itching for it. Soon enough, all the earthly needs vanished. All he could see was Rock Lee, nothing else. He had no need for food, water, any mortal needs were instantly removed. The whiskers on his face grew wider as he felt _his_ chakra rush in... Yes, he had no need to worry anymore... Uzumaki Naruto was now one quarter demon. In exchange for the kyuubi living not in him, but _with _him, Naruto gained control of all its powers. He had all its chakra, its stamina, everything. However, now he was more aggressive, even more emotional... At least one quarter more. 

_Naruto-kun... One year ago had I seen the whiskers on your cheeks expand, I would've been very worried... _Lee rushed at Naruto now, preparing for the sudden burst of moves from his opponent that almost matched himself in speed. As it came, Lee unlocked the first gate as well, resulting in a gain for himself. Exchanging a couple quick, aerial blows, they returned to the earth. _I'm finishing it now... _Lee could sense Naruto's second burst – any further and Lee would have to release more gates; he couldn't affored that, as he had another mission coming tomorrow. _I'm using the jutsu_... Lee began making hand seals, and smiled as Naruto's face turned to shock.

Yes, over the years, Lee had slightly improved his chakra problem. Previously, his body had only enough chakra for him to live, but after Tsunade's operation, his body adjusted. The Chuunin Exam left his body completely demolished. It gave his body a chance to rebuild, and it did just that. Now he had one-fourth of a normal person's chakra. True, it wasn't much, but he had enough to do five or six jutsus total... _Or in this case, one major one_... Naruto thought. _I guess it's true, 'If it doesn't kill you, it'll only make you stronger.' Heh... All right, Lee. I get the picture. You want to end this now..._

After Naruto's three year journey, Lee and Naruto became rivals. Neji was unavailable, as he was promoted to Assisten Manager of the Clan – yes, he was made into the Main Clan. He would become the heir to the Hyuuga, engaged to Hinata. Thus, he wasn constantly in meetings of some sort. Lee and Naruto were originally only friends, but as fate would have it, they became best friends. They were both so similar... Determined, rock solid in their beliefs, kind, good sports, and... _enthusiastic_ about the spirit of hard work ('youth' in Lee's case...)

The two partners collided, Naruto with the Rasengan, Lee with his super-punch enhanced with the Gates and his jutsu. Sakura taught it to him in exchange for he teaching her taijutsu. Lee and Naruto lived in the same house. With Neji out of the picture, and Sasuke leaving Konoha, the teams were uneven. On top of that, many of the remaining shinobis were Jounin and ANBU by now, so they were also out. So the teams were altered, and for convenience sake, they lived together. It made sense, really. Rivals, best friends, team mates.

As they made, both flew back from the blow and immense gusts of chakra which sprayed the loose sand and gravel all over. As the air immaculate once again, a standing Naruto was revealed, smiling. "Yes! And that ties it up 30-30! Uzumaki Naruto is back in the game baby!" Going to Lee, Naruto helped the taller boy up. "Lee, you all right?"  
"I am most definitely all right! At least for now, the spirit of youth burns bright!"  
Naruto couldn't help but laugh at his speech. "Good. I don't want to lose another rival and best friend. Heh. Anyways, I gotta go Lee. Tsunade has me on another ANBU mission. See ya!"  
Lee watched as his friend's hair danced in the wind. His blue eyes radiated kindness. Lee smiled. "All right." he said to himself. _It's to time to tell him._

"What's that? You say something Lee?"  
"Naruto-kun... I have a confession."  
"Can we do it home as I'm packing up for it?"  
"Sure..."

Naruto left.

Tsunade sat at her desk while Shizune massaged her tired neck. _God what am I going to tell him... It's been a while... _

As if on cue, Naruto came in. "Hey Baa-chan. What'd ya have for me?" A blond haired, tall boy now walked in. Uzumaki Naruto was seventeen years old, 5' 10'', and according to Tsunade, he'd still be growing for another year. Bouncing on top of Tsunade's desk with a smile, he prayed for a good one. Smiling, he added, "I tied up Lee 30-30."

"As you know, it's an S Rank... So I suggest you get clean and everything."

"Right."

"Naruto..."

"Yes?" Naruto said, showing he was already paying attention.

Tsunade sighed. "S Ranks are assassination missions..." She started not knowing what to say.

"Yeah! I know, that's why they're so exciting! I haven't had one in ages! So who do I kill?"  
_He smiles, putting it so lightly... Ah, well. Now or never._ "Naruto go get cleaned up, pack up everything you have. Don't hold back on this mission. You are meant to kill Uchiha Sasuke... Good luck." Tsunade said, letting it sink in.

_Uchiha Sasuke... Sasuke?_ Memories flooded back to Naruto...

_"You're such a loser, Naruto..."_

_"Oh yeah! I'm getting to the top of that tree first!"_

_"We did it... All the way to the top..." Naruto came in, hanging on to Sasuke._

_Sasuke nodded. "He's improved... for a dobe."  
Naruto smiled._

_"WHY'D YOU SAVE ME, SASUKE? I DIDN'T ASK FOR YOU TO!"  
Sasuke lay on the floor, battered and wounded. "Heh... My body just moved... You always were a loser..." Sasuke said softly as he bled._

_"Sasuke!" Naruto screamed._

"Naruto... You have a dream r-right? (cough) Don't g-give up... There is a m-man I wanted to (cough) kill... Naruto... Don't... g-give up..."

"I see..." Naruto softly said. "Am I allowed to kill Orochimaru as well?"

Tsunade winced as she heard his name. She noticed the whiskers on his cheeks multiplied in size. "Naruto... I am so sor –"

"_Am I allowed to kill him..._" Naruto asked, anger, frustration, sadness, and sense of betrayal ran through him more and more.

"... Yes..." she said softly.

A breeze blew as he left instantly.

"Kami-sama... Protect that boy, please..."

"Naruto-kun..." Lee made a futile effort at getting Naruto's attention.

Naruto came out of the shower. Quickly putting on his mission clothes, his anger kept doubling over him. He made a promise to Sakura... Sasuke was his best friend... And on top of all this, Tsunade _knew_ this! He was so frustrated... He wanted to become hokage to those precious to him, so that they may notice him... So that he may be loved for once... But what happened when he had to kill one of those precious people in order to become hokage... Which was more important, a friend or a dream? A noble cause or loyalty? A promise or an order by the hokage? Would he be selfish by saving Sasuke just because he was his friend. Would he be selfish by killing Sasuke just to improve his mission stats so he could become hokage?

Lee looked around, smiling. This was his house... His and Naruto's. It was a two story house, two bedroom two-bath. It was very spacious for two people, and he loved it. All the bedrooms and bathrooms were upstairs. Below, a large kitchen with an even larger living room was located.

_"A ninja is a tool. That is the path of a ninja."_

_"Well I'm not following the path of a ninja! I'm following the Naruto path..."_

"Lee..." he croaked. "I have to kill Sasuke..."  
Lee understood his pain and dilemma. "Naruto-kun... You must listen to what your heart tells you most. Everything works out for the best. What do you want to do in this situation. Once you leave it will be too late... Take a moment before deciding. Calm down," he finished and hugged Naruto.

"I think I'll try to kill Orochimaru, but not Sasuke... I can't kill Sasuke... I can't."

Lee nodded. "Then go, Naruto-kun."

Smiling lightly, Naruto left.

_I couldn't tell him... Not then... I just... couldn't._

Darkness engulfed them, but that's how they thrived. Nine forsaken shinobis assembled themselves, cloaked in still of the night.

"I hear the kyuubi vessel is going after Orochimaru." A hooded person said.

Another, deeper voice was now heard. "In that case, Itachi..."  
The cloaked man now kneeled.

"Help our friend _remove_ Orochimaru. We don't want information leaking."

"Understood."

The other seven smiled maliciously.

* * *

Plans have made, pieces have been moved, all for the collision of Naruto, Orochimaru and Sasuke, and Itachi. What comes of this? Next time. And does Naruto spare Sasuke, and if so, what are the consequences. 


	2. Exile

Woot! Wow I was surprised by the response I got. '' May be I ain't so bad at this fanfic thing after all:P Anyways, on with the show. Oh, keep in mind, for the pairings, I'd like to have it decided by this chapter.

NaruSasu:2

NaruSaku:2

So please, to limit the confusion, I'm throwing all other pairings out because these seem to be the main one. So vote for one or the other, because right now it can go either way. By next chapter it can't. So vote! Vote like the wind! ''

* * *

Fire country was very beautiful. Most of it existed as peaceful treasures of nature, undisturbed by humans, the one creature that constantly opposed fate. The serenity remained intact here, and this was one of the many advantages of being a shinobi. Merely standing, gazing upon the seemingly infinite field of green as birds gracefully danced in between the gaps, praying one's eyes could catch more it... But it is more than senses can comprehend. 

Amidst all this, one shinobi did not spare a second glance. He couldn't care less if all Mother Nature herself burned down this very instant. No, for today was _the_ day... Yes, Orochimaru's plans would be completed today, and this particular shinobi couldn't fail – for his sake. Kabuto gently adjusted his glasses so they would be placed higher up on the bridge of his nose, preventing the glare. Everything was set up: the four bodies needed for testing had been placed on beds, accurate blood types, and everything as requested. His tools had sharpened the previous day, and he reviewed all surgery techniques – not that he cared for the corpses. It merely another challenge for him. Praying that his experiment would be a success, Kabuto gently began his mission. The body was exquisite, quite rare, actually – a female virgin with unique _attributes_... But none of that mattered, to Orochimaru, anyways, and what his master wanted, was what everyone wanted. Gently taking the sharpened blade, he touched the nerve. As he saw the hand flinch in reaction, he smiled. It was a success. Now all that remained was to match the remaining nerves and their protocols. If it went according to plan, they would be finished by the end of today.

Naruto stood atop a particularly tall tree, staring at Sound Village. His face remained unrevealing, but his eyes were blazing with fury. He was but a quarter mile away from the village, no, from the _monster_ who robbed his best friend, from the envoy of darkness in his life, the parasite who lived on not his, but others' strengths... And he couldn't do a damn thing about it. During the Chuunin Exams, Orochimaru was but three feet away, and he sank to his feet when his friends needed him most... When his village needed him most... When Sasuke needed him most... _And you can't do a damn thing about it now_ a part of him told him. Naruto hoped, prayed it was the kyuubi part of him. Today, it all counted. Sasuke's dream, Sasuke's freedom, Sasuke's life... Naruto stopped for a minute, wondering what he would gain from this... _Sasuke... I'd get Sasuke back... _Reminding himself, he drove on.

"Kuso." The guard said. "What the fuck is happening now?" He had a simple job – guard one door. All enemies would come from one entrance. He had traps set up all over the place, seals ready to blow ten armies to ashes, and forbidden kinjutsus ready to use... But someone was avoiding them. It was surprising how complicated things could get when one was trying to fight Uchiha Itachi.

Opening the door, Itachi examined things one last time. Yes, everything was in order. No seals had gone off, the guard seeming to be alive, and not even one dust particle out of place. Orochimaru would have no idea what was coming. Out of the corner of his eyes, he caught something. His red eyes glowed in the dark, but he covered himself with genjutsu. Itachi had seen him before... Yes, definitely this intruder was someone he knew, but whom? The jinchuuriki for the nine tails had a tracking device on him... His chakra could be sensed from miles away by the Akatsuki members... And yet, Itachi had not sensed anything all of today... _He merged with it... The Kyuubi is no longer for the taking... And no longer a threat._

Orochimaru's base was very well hidden, as expected from a Senin. Nevertheless, being a Senin can only get one so far. His base was underground, and, predictably, in the heart of the Sound Village. It had one entrance which Orochimaru himself did not use. No, he had a seal which took him inside. Two windows were located, and one exit door. The main entrance was not used because it was in fact a decoy. Stepping inside would transport on directly to the Manda which would kill that person in an instant. On top of all this, the whole base was under genjutsu. Unfortunately, the two perfect people were chosen to go infiltrate his base: Uchiha Itachi was going via the decoy entrance, and Naruto who was coming from the back.

"Someone's breached our base." A deep growl was heard.

"Kukuku... So they've come... Well, it was expected... Sasuke-kun, I suggest we leave immediately." An evil voice said. "Kabuto!"

"It's all here." Kabuto said giving Orochimaru a piece of paper. "We're ready to leave."

"Excellent."

"_They're _coming?" The deep voice repeated again.

"Stop talking like that." Kabuto snapped.

"Your precious Naruto-kun, and you brother. Both of them. I suggest we leave immediately. You're still no match for Itachi."

"Heh... Naruto won't kill me... And Itachi... Itachi needs his third Mengekyuou user... He can't afford to kill me... Whereas I can afford to kill both of them. I'm staying, Orochimaru. You don't have chips, I do now." Sasuke said coldly.

Orochimaru, however, merely laughed. "Who said I needed you alive, Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke's brows narrowed.

"Yes, I thought I might run into this problem, and so I had Kabuto prepare the necessary items. You may stay if you wish. After all, I'm sure you can defeat the Kyuubi boy and Itachi together. Good bye." And Orochimaru's seal activated.

Just as Orochimaru left, the wall to the right of Sasuke exploded, revealing a tall ANBU covered with dust. An expensive katana with a black and golden handle neatly sheathed away. Its hilt was glimmering in the light. He was dressed in complete black, his mask still on. The brown dust was clearly visible on the contrasting black, but the man didn't care. He stepped forward, unsheathing his katana. "Come with me." he said in a clear, confident voice.

"Naruto... So tell me, are Kakashi and Sakura here as well?"

The ANBU didn't say anything, only concentrated.

_Fuck, I sense it, too... He's here at last..._ "You'd better leave if you want to live. I have no intention of harming you, or no use for you." Sasuke said quickly as a single drop of blood fell from his finger. Quickly unwrapping a scroll, he said, "Summoning no Jutsu!" but nothing happened.

Orochimaru's base was roughly three square miles of mazes and traps, all located underground. Needless to say, if it disappeared, the ground would collapse – and that's just what happened. Suddenly, on each of four corners, an explosion occurred, nullifying all stability of the sedimentary rock in the area. Sasuke quickly used chakra to jump fifty feet in the air, through the roof to safety. As he jumped onto a nearby tree, he saw the hole in the ground, a three cubic mile hole in the ground. Frowning to himself, he thought, _Naruto? No... No Naruto doesn't have enough power to do that... He wasn't even moving... Then it was Itachi? Itachi may be the cause, but wasn't he..._ Looking past that, he saw two creatures of opposite sizes.

The giant Manda, one of the most powerful summoning creatures, lay spread out on the blood-drenched ground, dead. The redness only grew as he looked on, and it covered most of the villages. Everything was in a dead quiet – the rock had come to a still, all animals had left in fear of the Manda, and any villagers either left or were killed. Amidst this, one sound was heard. _Splosh... Splosh... Splosh_... The found of footsteps in puddle – a puddle of blood. Uchiha Itachi was walking away from the Manda without scratch, knee high in blood, yet no emotion on his face. Itachi was balanced perfectly – no anger, no benevolence. No emotion, yet humane. He was the one exception to the paradoxes of life, the one loop hole in controversies... He was... _untouchable_.

Sasuke stared at him, his anger growing by the second. This was his dream, his goal... His vengeance... _Finally, after all these years... It's time... _Sasuke jumped down, splashing the cursed blood everywhere. "You die today."

Itachi didn't even pay attention to him. His eyes were focused hard on the crumbled ruins of Orochimaru's lair. Suddenly, another explosion occurred. All the dust was blown away, revealing an ANBU standing. _So he's wind element._ A/N:For those of you who are keeping up with the Manga, in my story Naruto has finished his elemental training. Itachi turned to Sasuke who was rushing.

Naruto jumped onto the raised ground where Sasuke and Itachi stood. The whole area was demolished. _And I thought I'd have to eliminate the remaining Sound nin myself... _Turning his attention to Sasuke, he saw his former rival living out his dream of killing Itachi. Sasuke wasn't worried, he wasn't begging, he was in _desparation_... _Sasuke... _He thought as he looked at his old team mate and comrade. _Heh... Comrade... Lee's rubbing off on me..._

"Firestorm no jutsu!" A blazing tornado of fire rushed at Itachi, but as soon as it touched, it subsided, leaving Itachi without a scratch. Grunting, he yelled, "Lightning pulse!" Chidori's rushed out of his body to Itachi, but used an unknown jutsu to deflect them. "Summoning no jutsu!" Sasuke summoned two smaller snakes, but Itachi used Mengekyuou and they died instantly. Jutsu after jutsu Sasuke kept using, and Itachi merely dodged or deflected. Itachi wasn't stressed yet, but Sasuke was.

Looking at his ex-best friend's face, he saw a twisted image of what used to be. Sasuke was sweating, tired to hell, but still going on desparately to kill the man who ruined his life. There was a strange malicious smile on his face, as if he loved the adrenaline rushing through him, as if he loved to see the blood... _Sasuke... Is this what you wanted? In the end, this is the great battle you sought? To fight like this? _Sasuke was outright frustrated, and it began to show. His decisions began getting increasingly rash.

Sasuke now jumped at Itachi and used taijutsu, but with every stroke, lightning coming out of his body – much like a the Hyuuga Jyuuken technique, only with lightning. Itachi was _much_ faster than Sasuke, and Sasuke was quickly forced into the defensive.

"You've improved..." he barely muttered.

Sasuke backed away now. _What? _

And the minute he was off guard, Itachi went in for the kill, but Sasuke was aware enough to dodge and retreat a couple yards.

"But your decisions are rash..." Itachi finished his comment. "I have no use for you. Leave, Sasuke..."

"FUCK YOU!" Sasuke was literally crying now. All his anger, frustration, and sadness amplified by being contained throughout the years was now coming out all at once.

Naruto remembered Jiraiya's words. _"It's hard for people to let go... But over time, if you talk about it, cry... The emotions are let go, and you get over it. I didn't say you forget it, no. It remains in you mind... But you learn to carry on... That's why you have to communicate to people when you're suffering..." _But Sasuke didn't... _Sasuke... You were just as lonely as I was... And you didn't tell anyone... And you never let anyone in, either... We could've been something... We should've been... Best friends, rivals... The strongest shinobi in Konoha... But look at you now... A tragedy, Sasuke, that's what you are..._ And looking at Sasuke, his dear friend in such a desperation hit something inside Naruto.

FLASHBACK

It was raining... The freezing rain drenched him and the cold, crisp air cut through him like blades, but eight year old Uzumaki Naruto didn't care. He stood, sloshing in the mud with his dirty shoes. "Damn it! Why won't it work!" He ran again, having chakra in his hand, and yelled, "Bunshin no jutsu!" But nothing happened. Slipping, he fell into the mud, making the rest of him the same brown. "Damn it!" And he got up again. He would make it work! He _had_ to make it work! He did it again and again, but nothing happened the whole time. Finally he broke down sobbing. "Why!... W-Why..." Through his ragged breathing, he managed to find enough energy to stand up, only to be knocked down by the slippery mud – and he lay there for the rest of the night...

END FLASHBACK

_We both needed someone... We needed... love... _The whiskers on Naruto's face widened. Sasuke was laying in the mud right now, and he needed Naruto. Naruto was not going to deny him a cry for help. A huge gust of wind caught Itachi's attention. Making a cyclone, he fired it at Itachi. Itachi dodged, but right as he dodged, Sasuke came at him with a chidori. Itachi grabbed Sasuke's arm, snuffed out the Chidori, and broke his bones in two. But right then from the cyclones, kunais rained down – kunais which had wind spinning like a vortex, enabling them to cut through anything. Itachi knew he couldn't block or dodge this... He forced into a situation he did not like very much. Stamina was his weakness, and that's why he was going after the ninetails. But right now, he had to use his chakra.

"Tsunami Shield..." he muttered. Yes, Kisame was useless, but his jutsus weren't...

A wave of water froze above the kunais. As the kunais cut through, the ice shattered and fell on the ground, cutting Sasuke in many areas. But the dust that was caused from this allowed Sasuke to escape; unfortunately, it did the same for Itachi.

_Speed, eh... I can do that._ "Flying Thunder God Jutsu." Naruto used the kunais thrown by the cyclone to teleport anywhere they landed. Landing behind Sasuke, he picked his friend up and helped him to safety.

"Let me go... I have to kill him."

"You can't do anything with broken arms."

"Who says they're broken?"

Naruto's eyes widened as he saw Sasuke was perfectly fine. _He used a chakra barrier that teme... Heh... Just like old times._ "Fine then... We take him down together."

"Hn..." The dobe hadn't changed much after all.

Uchiha Itachi was not like other evils... He had strange look of rationality about him. The prodigy was always calm and composed. Wearing a black coat, he kept his mysteries about him, never revealing what was inside. Never expressing his emotions, he was the ultimate mystery. He rarely ever spoke, and when he did, it was only in absolutely necessary cases. And now, Sasuke was staring at the devil himself... Uchiha Itachi smiled. Not a malicious smile, not some evil, killing intent, but just an ordinary smile. As if a 'Hey, nice job. Thanks.' smile. Using a strange jutsu, he left immediately.

_The kyuubi is no more... My mission is a waste... And I already contain the eight-tails... My worries are over... _Making hand seals, Itachi left with the words, "It's a pity, Naruto... I could've used you..."

Naruto looked around, not bother to wonder what the hell that smile was about. All the trees in the nearby area were burnt to a crisp by Sasuke's jutsu, all nearby buildings were demolished, all the ground in a five mile radius was unstable, one of the most powerful summon spirits was cut open, its blood had seeped through to probably bedrock, three cubic miles of earth was missing, and the Sound Village was officially no more. Fire Country would reclaim the land in no time flat. Sitting down on a rock, Naruto and Sasuke looked at each other for the first time in a long time.

For once in his life Sasuke simply stared. He stared at the wonder before him. How could someone be so... so... Foolish! A part of him said. Another said giving. Naruto was very... Forgiving... naïve. Sasuke was torn. He looked at Naruto as his blue radiant, passionate eyes sparkled in the sun. His carefree blond hair waved in the wind. His face bathed in dirt and smudges. Naruto picked up his katana, burned his broken mask, and began to leave.

Turning around one last time, he looked at Sasuke. He took off his mask. "You were my friend... Rival... Brother... I was foolish and determined... But Sasuke... I've learned to move on... I've let Sakura-chan down, myself down, my village down. I'm not going to let you down as well... So I'll get out of your life... One last time, please come home." Naruto said firmly and put on his mask.

"Naruto... I have to kill him. That is my life..."  
"Both of us together couldn't kill him, Sasuke... So what next? You're going to find someone to train you? I doubt you could even beat me and walk away healthy. Besides... Let's pretend you _did_ kill Itachi... So what? Does that bring back your family? Does that ease the loneliness? Itachi is just an outlet for your pain and frustration. You're just a little brat, wanted to get back at everyone, wanting everything. Look at you... You're so similar to Itachi you can't even see it. Do you think your parents would've wanted you to become like this? Their proud heir, someone who can mercilessly kill their family... Someone who turned out to be a missing nin bent on revenge. Is that what they would've wanted? You're crushing your parents' hopes and dreams right now, and that's enough to kill... So right now, you're killing your parents... Is that what they wanted you to be? I somehow doubt it..."

"What would you know, Naruto? You never had a family... You don't know the –"

"Don't you _ever_ say I don't know the pain, Sasuke... For someone who doesn't have a family, it's worse... Because right then, I finally got a family... You, Sakura-chan, Iruka-sensei, Kakashi-sensei... You were all people I knew would die for me any day, and I would do the same... That is family, Sasuke. You don't have to be blood related. And when I finally got you all, I promised myself I didn't want to be lonely again... I would hold onto you tighter than ever. And right then you had to go and rip my heart out... Just leave like that! I felt that pain twice! So if I acted like you, I would go hellbent on killing you! I would go out and try and try stalking and just leave Sakura-chan and go! And then Sakura-chan would leave trying to kill me, and we all just have a big happy killing-fiesta! Hell we could have a whole train! Me, you, Sakura-chan, Kakashi-sensei, Ero-Senin, Baa-chan..." He picked up a rock and threw it away as tears rolled down his eyes. But most of those words were his emotions speaking, and not him. "I _loved_ you..."

Sasuke's eyes were cold. "I would never kill my parents... And as far as I can see, you just want me back at Konoha... So, what would happen then? I get arrested and killed. I might as well die killing Itachi." he said emotionlessly.

"You wouldn't die..."

"You know as well as I do the Council would kill me!" Sasuke roared. "It's pointless all right! I'm dead either way..."

"So am I..."

"What?"

"I was sent on a mission to assassinate you... Obviously, I've failed... The council will exile me... But I'm starting a new village, Sasuke. I've decided. One day I'm going to change Konoha and come back... And one day I'm going to become hokage... You just... You... just go and get yourself killed..."

Sasuke's eyes were wide... Naruto gave up his dream to spare him? Naruto gave up his once chance at being a hero? Killing an A Rank Missing Nin would definitely give a good shot at being hokage... And he gave it up for friendship... _Naruto... You always were too foolish..._ "Naruto..." he called back.

Turning around, Naruto didn't bother to hid his tearing eyes. "What..." he croaked out.

"After I kill Itachi, I will come back to Konoha, give you all credit of killing him, capturing me, and do everything I can to make you Hokage." Sasuke said smiling for the first time in a long time. He couldn't help it. Naruto's idiocy was beyond stubbornness.. It was worse than determination... He was jackass that put his heart right where it could get hurt. Smiling, he said, "Do we have a deal?"

"It'll be too late by then, Sasuke. I doubt you may even be able to kill Itachi..."

Sasuke took up his emotionless face again. "Well that's all I can offer... Good bye, Naruto."  
Turning his back to him, he said, "Good bye, Sasuke..." And he disappeared.

Sasuke looked at his former friend leaving. Somehow there was a sinking feeling in his heart... He didn't like this, not one bit... But what could he do. Picking up his belongings, Sasuke looked one last time in the direction of Konoha... In the direction of Naruto – one man who would he knew would willingly give up his dreams and die for him, a missing nin and traitor. _Naruto... Perhaps one day I may be able to repay the favors..._ Sheathing his sword, Sasuke, too, disappeared.

The grotesque scene was left untouched after that... All humans in the area where never to be seen again. Many look upon this as a tragedy, that life there was ruined, but proud humans fail to see that Nature lives on through disasters and paradise all the same. Nature doesn't need humans, it is humans who need Nature...

* * *

Naruto quickly returned to Konoha. Entering Tsuande's office, he took off his mask, though it was unnecessary. Tsunade could recognize his chakra from a mile away. Looking at him with a sad face, she cut to the chase. "How did it go?""I failed." Naruto said coldly. 

Tsuande winced. Naruto didn't even bother to hide it. He stated it like it was, and that was _never _ a good sign. "Was he too strong?"

"I don't know... I infiltrated Orochimaru's base, but he and Kabuto managed to escape. Then Itachi showed up as well. He killed the Manda as well as the Sound Nin... And I mean the entire base. The Sound Country is no more... Orochimaru's base itself was blown up. I'm estimating only fifteen percent of the Sound Nin are alive... Mostly genin, for only genin live that far away from the center... Naturally, Orochimaru doesn't care about lives lost. In any case, Itachi soon left... And I didnt' bother to fight Sasuke. I have failed." Naruto was stolid in expressions.

Tsunade's face paled. The Coucil knew of this mission, and they had been waiting for this kind of opportunity since he was born. As if on cue, the door opened to reveal the Council Members arriving. "Hokage-sama, we heard."

Instead of Tsuande answering, Naruto faced them. "You will speak to me. I want Tsunade-sama to have no part in this. She has enough on her mind already. I am the one who failed. Not her." Naruto said strongly.

However, the Council members didn't flinch; instead, most of them smiled. "Good," Hiashi began. "Then you understand your punishment."

"Hai, execution."

Whispers were exchanged within the members. After a while, they concluded, "No... Exile."

_Ah, that's right. They don't know about me and kyuubi merging, so they think if I die, kyuubi comes out... Well, at least I'm alive._

"Very well. I will leave by tomorrow." It would've been different if Naruto at least attempted to kill Sasuke. But having admitted to the contrary, he was condemned.

"Seven o' clock in the morning we expect you to be out of this village. By noon you should be out of this country." Hiashi finished, and they cleanly exited the room.

Naruto put on a sad smile as he collapsed onto a nearby chair.

Tsunade didn't bother to yell or scream... It would only worsen the situation.

Getting up, Naruto kissed Tsunade on the cheek. "I'll see ya round Baa-chan. After all, it's already three o' clock. Can't waste anytime. Bye."

Tsuande broke down sobbing.

* * *

"Naruto..." 

Naruto turned to meet the cause of the sound. "Ero-Senin. What's up?"

"Here's your stuff. Let's go." Jiraiya threw a pebble at him.

_Ah, he used that jutsu... _"Go where?"

"You've been exiled! Where do you think we're going? To everyone else."

The ANBU was completely lost now. "What?"

"Just move your lazy ass, man."

Jiraiya led him to the East Gate.

Naruto smiled when he saw everyone else packed up as well. "So... We're all leaving Konoha, eh?"

Lee smiled sheepishly. "Indeed! We have all resigned from our posts. We are starting our own village, with you as kage!"

Naruto's eyes widened at that. It definitely seemed that they had thought this over quite some time, or they wouldn't have made such a large decision so quickly. "Very well, but we are lacking some supplies. Namely, people. Our _village_ wouldn't be much with only fifteen people. Buildings we can take care of easily with jutsus, but food and water? We wouldn't be much of a threat, and we need to defend ourselves from ANBU and Hunter Nins who will definitely be after us." In response to this long list of complaints, they just smiled. Naruto's eye brows went up. "So, I'm guessing you guys have solution for all this?"

Shikamaru now stepped forward. "Well, we knew this would one day happen because of kyuubi, and so I began planning from a long time back, actually. Plans kept getting out ruled, or changing, until I settled on this one alone. So, we've gathered quite a many people, actually – the equivalent of three-fourths the Sound Village was. We have others from Konoha who want to start a fresh life, people from Mist, Sound Nin farmers and residents who were oppressed by Orochimaru, and people from Sand. So population is taken care of. As for food, the location I have planned has plenty of space, and we have more than enough farmers. I have an entire book of law written already which I made from seeing the flaws of Konoha --"

"And probably playing Shogi..." Naruto smiled.

"Ah... Yes, well, that, too. So government is taken care of. As for protection... Well, we have rather strong allies, so Konoha wouldn't dare attack us..."

"Who --" Naruto though for a minute. Smiling, he looked Temari's boy-friend. _Damn you're lucky to have her, Shikamaru... _"Gaara..."

"_Kazekage_ Gaara," Sakura corrected. "And since the Sand and Leaf are allies, they wouldn't _dare_ attack us for fear of alienating the Sand."

"Very well, I admit you everything set up."

The crowd exchanged high fives for overcoming Naruto.

"However," he began, much to their disappointment. "What about _you_... No doubt the others will coming with their families... But you, _we_ are just barely adults. Have you considered your families? No doubt Shikamaru has... But leaving all of that for a brand new life. And what if we come back... No matter what happens Konoha is our home. After we change it, we all come back, I become hokage here... What happens to all those people? Do we just abandon them? Or do we stay there forever, forgetting our past? Do we really have what it takes?" Naruto said sadly. He knew they were doing something for his best interest, but he couldn't afford to let them get hurt.

There was along silence. It was as if the whole village was awaiting this answer.

"Well, take your time. I'm leaving tomorrow morning six o' clock... So tell me then, all right... And, guys... I really appreciate this. I really do. I just don't want you to get hurt... After all, you're all I have left... You're all I ever had. That's all." And Naruto left with the gloomy note.

"Hey everyone!" Kakashi now came.

Ino and Sakura were red.

"Uh-oh... I'm late aren't, I?" Kakashi paled.

Though it was one of the brightest days Konoha had seen in a long time, everything was gloomy. Naruto himself was in a world far, _far _away. To a time when he had not worries... To a place where where the leaves dance and the fire burns, the shadows of fire illuminated by the village... and a new leaf sprouts... The spirit of fire is passed down to the Konoha ninjas... The small fires in Konoha will become big fires... And will one day become the next generation hokage... Continuing to shine in thevillage... He remembered the Sandaime's words and all the memories he had of this place. He gently touched the walls of academy, closing his eyes, as if trying to go back in time. He could _feel _ the spirit of everything he had done, everyone who had come here... All the lives that had changed because of this place. Naruto Uzumaki knew no one and nothing lived or died in vain... But it was ever more difficult to let go of those who you knew were still alive. He explored the classrooms, remembering each incident and prank excitedly as if he were still a child. Each memory became fresh in his mind again, and his mind filled in the empty seats with students, and silence was replaced by all the noise he and the other 'diligent' pupils would cause... And soon enough, he was caught in all his memories... However, his parade was brought to a halting screech by the cleaners.

"Oh. I'm sorry." And Naruto quickly left.

Entering his apartment, he quietly sat on his bed, still reminiscing. He couldn't leave, he just _couldn't_. No matter how much he tried, no matter how much pain and suffering he went through, this was still his home... And he loved Konoha. _I'll come back one day... I'll be back, and I'll become hokage... I'll visit all the kids... Be nice... Just like old-man hokage... I'll be the greatest hokage... _Naruto wasn't surprised when he saw wet drops falling on his... well, the bed sheets. _Not mine anymore..._ Finally getting a hold of himself, he decided to go and visit Ichiraku for one last dinner.

Arriving there, he frowned when he saw it was closed. Upon reading the sign, he found they were closed "for losing their #1 best customer, Uzumaki Naruto. Never to re-open."

"Ayame-chan..." he said out loud though no one was around. "I'm so sorry... So very sorry."

"Hello?" Naruto heard a familiar voice. "Naruto-kun!" Ayame came out. "Come inside! One last meal for our best customer. On the house." she said smiling sadly.

"No, I couldn't..."

"Oh, come on!"

"Well, at least let me pay."

She sighed. "I guess there's no use in arguing then. Fine, you can pay."

"One large miso, please." Naruto said stepping into the familiar and comforting warmth of the restaurant. While he ate, he explained how the mission went. Ayame was always a very good listener, and Naruto would often come by just to talk out his troubles.

"Well, Naruto-kun." she said as he finished. "We have one last surprise for you."

Naruto's eyes widened. _Surprise? They're bankrupt. I can't accept any gifts!_

"We're coming with you! We heard about it from your friends, and we've decided to come along!" She said smiling.

Naruto hugged her, sobbing. "Thank you... But, are you –"

"Of course we're sure! Father says he's young enough to make one last journey."

Naruto smiled happily. _Perhaps this won't be so bad after all._

* * *

Early dawn, Naruto got up to see the sunrise. It was wonderous as ever, but today it seemed even more so. It seemed Lee had already gotten up, not so surprising considering the guy got up at four o' clock. He looked the window of the Hokage tower. Tsunade was still asleep. He kissed her on the cheek one last time. Whispering, "I love you, Baa-chan." he quickly took his pebble which contained his belongings and left. 

The morning fog had just rolled in, and the flowers were sprayed with the honey and wonder that is morning dew. The air was cool and comforting – almost as if Konoha itself was weeping that Naruto was leaving. Smiling, he said quietly, "Good bye, Konoha... I'm leaving."  
"Not without us, you're not."

Whirling around, Naruto saw Sakura and along with all his friends. Smiling, he asked the obvious. "So, you're all really going to come, eh?"

"Yosh! Let's go! The spirit of youth waits for no man!" At this, Sakura gently hugged him. Everyone else was busy mingling, but one pair of aquamarine eyes sadly watched the even.

Once everyone was out of sight, Lee came to Naruto. "Naruto-kun, I didn't have time before... But I have a confession to make."

Taking a deep breath, Naruto sighed. "I know, Lee... Take good care of her." Naruto said to end the conversation quickly. He had to many things to think about, and he didn't want to think about this as well... At least, not just yet.

* * *

Well... That didn't come out as good as I wanted it to. Ah, well... Practice makes perfect, ne? Anyways, that's the chapter, though I'm disappointed in myself. Goes and weeps Anways, next chapter is the setting up of the village! Village of Ice? Nah... I have to decide... Plus I need help cuz I don't know Japanese. '' Ah, well. Hope you enjoyed it. 


	3. A New Hope for the Heart

okay! so! without further ado, let the chapter begin! (yay!) haha. okay scratch that. some comments. this is the last chapter for voting! no more after this! so vote! VOTE LIKE THE WIND! okay i'm done. onward! (for some reason the little line separator thingy doesn't seem to work, so don't blame me.)

A gentle breeze blew, allowing the untamed, spiky hair of their leader to sway with it. Naruto's rigid, ocean-blue eyes were filled with a spark of hope, lighting the party's path. They were close to their destination, at least, according to what Shikamaru said – and the Nara was _never _wrong... _Well, almost never._ Naurto muttered to himself thinking about the Chuunin Exams. Quickly, he refocused himself on the present. It was too exciting to miss out. He was starting his own village – a fresh, new village that he himself would rule. A new system the likes of which the world had never seen. Yes, this was exciting.

The rubble on the mountain was shaky and unsettled, making it all the more difficult for the elderly to progress. Climbing over one last boulder, Naruto scanned the sight before him. _This is it... This is will be the beginning of the Uzumaki Clan, home to a new village... A village of peace, force only if necessary... A village of multiple clans, using all sorts of elements... With equality... This is it... _Naruto felt a strong hand placed upon his shoulder. For an instant he would've liked it to be Sakura's hand... He wanted her to be the first to see this sight, but it wasn't. Looking back, he saw her walking with Lee, an arm wrapped around his waist.

"So... Do you like it?" Shikamaru asked with a touch of dry humor in his voice – his eyes not missing the slightest detail. He knew what was going on, and on top of that, the Nara had an unnerving ability to sense exactly what went on in others' minds.

Chuckling, Naruto replied, "You know me well... Yeah, I love it."

And the Nara did – he knew Naruto was struggling to keep his focus away from the pink haired kunoichi who was at this time aiding his very rival and best friend. _A difficult situation for anyone... But more so for one who is about to start a new country..._

It was a large valley – completely isolated and incredibly difficult to locate – mainly because the mountains surrounding had never yet been touched – not even during wars, at least, not for very long. This was the region known as Death Valley, a large forest of No Man's Land squeezed between the two strongest countries since the World War between the Leaf and the Rock occurred, the Wind Country to Southwest, but mainly Mist and Leaf. A large waterfall was in the front of it, gushing into a placid delta-like landscape, only it was surrounded by mountains. Naruto was curious to see where all that water ended up. _Probably underground somewhere... _Hot springs were there as well – a rarity to see waters of that temperature next to such a large body of surface water. _Yeah, it probably goes underground and gets heated or something... _It was _very_ scenic and the view was spectacular. There was plenty of open landscape as well as trees to provide housing. But Naruto wasn't planing on tainting the beauty of the land for housing. No, there were plenty of jutsus which could accomplish the task.

As more people arrived at the location, 'ooh's and gasps could be heard.

"Well team. Time to go down."

"Descend? How? It's too hard for a lot of people."

"Nothing a little wind can't solve." Naruto looked onward past the waterfall and smiled. "Or sand..." _Gaara... _Naruto heard Temari's angry voice in his head growling "That's Kazekage Gaara to you." But it only made him laugh more. What the Nara ever saw in that girl he would never understand.

Gaara stood in a monumental pose, erect as ever next to the grandeur of the landscape around him. Fitting, really – one of such a high rank deserved it, but... _Humility had never been one of Gaara's attributes... _Naruto thought as the edges of his lips curled upwards. Around him were many, many people – all the other farmers and such who were soon to join this new village. It made sense – who else would be able to escort such a large number of people without a high death rate. _Kazekage_ Gaara was well feared by now.

Naruto jumped over to the other edge. "Gaara!"

He could Temari's voice echo "Kazekage!"

"Naruto." Gaara formally gave his hand.

To others, it might have seen cold, but Naruto had learned to read the quiet boy's shy emotions. In fact, Gaara was quite expressive of his emotions if one took the time to read them. They say the rest of your body can act, but the eyes are connected with the soul. And Gaara's certainly was. His eyes smiled at Naruto warmly. It was just a matter of shyness – and Gaara had been an outcast all his life before Naruto beat the crap out of him. He was overcoming it, slowly but surely.

Naruto returned the shake and they began lowering the villagers slowly... Well, Gaara did it slowly. As for Naruto...

"Naruto-san, Naruto-san! Throw me, throw me!" The kids cried.

"Okay!" And with a huge gust of wind, the kids were thrown up into the air and were free-falling fifty feet on to the ground only to land on a safe gust of air which buffered a nasty fall. "Next!" Naturally, this only worked for the kids... and a couple others.

"Come on, Lee-san! Let's go!" Sakura said. "It'll be fun!"

"N-No. I-I refuse. I mean, it would be quite inconsiderate to leave the villagers and elderly unguarded. I-I shall stand watch." He said, his eyes growing ever bigger looking at the frightening drop. Finally, he was pushed off the cliff by Sakura, and his height ever elevated by Naruto's wind. "AAAAH!" Finally reaching the ground safely, he lay on the ground caressing its soft, smooth texture.

"Damn, Lee. Next time you do that, take off your stupid weights. Man, you're so heavy. Come on Sakura-ch – san!" Naruto couldn't call her -chan... Not while she was someone else's.

Sakura heard it fully. The new honorific stung deeply. In all her nineteen years of life, Naruto had but called her one thing. "Sakura-chan." It showed his undying love for her, always. She knew it he had no malicious intentions, merely respecting her space... But it hurt, hurt badly. She liked to have Naruto as that safety buffer – knowing that no matter what happened she had at least one man who had undying love for her... _But that's all he ever war... I used him as merely a buffer... Naruto, I'm... I'm sorry... And I promise from now on, I'll be more independent... _And so Sakura jumped off, trusting her self to Naruto's wind. It comforted her, softly caressed her skin. Naruto gave her the best ride of all. He lifted her high enough to see the whole landscape – a bird's eye view. Naruto put himself in the wind – whatever he would have wanted to do, the wind, controlled by his chakra did for him. Caringly, it stroked and smoothed her hair, caressed her cheek, touched her face. The feeling was like never before... It was freedom, and yet she wasn't – merely a puppet of the wind; she had everything, could see for miles, and yet was unable to claim it... To give herself up to something like that... To give her body, mind, and soul... It was _wonderful_. She wasn't actually touching something, and yet she was safe. Before she had even realized it, she felt her toes tapping the ground. She smiled at Naruto and mumbled a "Thanks." Gently, she helped Lee who was still feeling sick. Looking back, she saw him still looking at her.

He quietly mouthed an "I'll always look after you..."

She looked away. She couldn't... _wouldn't... _Not while she was Lee's...

Everyone saw the sight before them, and everyone's hearts sank. The adults knew damn well what was going on, and it completely broke the mood. Naruto lowered everyone else in the same way, and soon enough, all were safely in the valley.

First thing was first: begin constructing shelter. There were many plans – many suggested using their element, be it sand, or wind. Gaara's plan was construct an underground village. Using his power to manipulate sand and earth, they could easily accomplish it and they would all be safe. Naruto himself had a plan of using the kyuubi's infinite chakra to build a floating city, but it would collapse once Naruto was dead. The third plan was to use the trees.

Finally, after a long and hard vote, the majority led onto the trees. They would be a village which lived in trees. "Very well. But how are we going to build this city?" Shikamaru asked.

"I may have... _peeked_ at the forbidden scroll and Yamato-san's jutsus... Heh..." Naruto confessed, turning red. Everyone couldn't help but burst out laughing. "All right, all right. Sheesh..." Naruto had enough.

The construction took roughly a month – meanwhile Gaara quickly made some rough shelter underground where they all had enough space for bedding and their personal belongings. The packed food easily lasted for a mere month, as many had brought enough to last three months, just in case.

And in the end, with the help of the many shinobi from Leaf, Sand, Mist, and even Lightning, their new home was complete. The trees were large – very large, in fact, and they easily supported the houses. The entire complex was surrounded by seals which would trigger if anyone had malicious intentions against the people in the village or anything in the village. They had used every seal known to them for protection. As long as you were nice, you were welcome. The living quarters were very spacious, and because they were such a small population compared to the size of the forest, each house had enough space for a luxurious sauna/spa, a very large dining area and fine beddings. Naruto used Jiraiya's "packing jutsu" which was used to stuff very large things into smaller areas to make the houses. So from the outside, each house was only ten square feet. As for the nearby hot springs, Gaara helped clean it up and make it usable. They were a population of pretty much near a thousand people, living in a very large valley. Things would be quite good for quite some time.

As for the farmlands, they divided about one quarter of the valley for farming, and decided the rest would be imported. For now, the amount of farmland they had would suffice. Each family had more than an acre to grow food and support itself. This acre was inside their own houses. As for the building that kept the actual farmland, it was used for exporting. Next to the waterfall they set up a large gym which would be used for the ninja academy for all levels. They segmented it so that no genin would be training next to a jounin and get hurt. Next to the living quarters was what was known as the fun area. Shops, parks, festival grounds, etc. All placed there.

"Should it really be segmented like this?" Sakura asked. "I mean, it feels kind of strange. One area for each thing... It's kind of..."  
"I know, but because we're such a small village, security is our number issue. Konoha can easily amass an army of shinobi larger than our entire population. Besides, it's not all that bad. We have seals connecting everything to other places. We have everything Konoha has, just the placing is different. They can afford to be on ground. We can't." Shikamaru explained.

Naruto looked at his new village. It was wonderful. "Hey, guys... What should we name this village... And call ourselves?"

Silence.

Suddenly, they all began laughing. They were so busy constructing, they had never even thought of a name. "So, who should decide?"

"Well, we have no ideas first. I say we all give ideas, and the one that gets the most votes, we'll go with that!" Naruto said. There seemed to be no objections. And as the votes were tallied up, Naruto read the piece of paper. "Village Hidden in Nature: Ametsuchigakure." _Well, that's one I haven't heard before. Still, it's rather appropriate. _"So I guess all of us shinobis are now Forest nins? Any objections?" Naruto looked at the suggested logo for the headband. Simply a pine tree next to a river. Seemed easy enough.

There seemed to be none. After all, a name was a name.

"Then in that case, our representative clan will the Naras. After all, they specialize in nature, right Shikamaru? You grow those deers, and you know the whole circle of life stuff. Plus, they're a lot nicer than other representative clans like the Uchihas." Naruto said thinking about Sasuke. Immediately realizing his mood was going down a wrong a path, he changed his mind.

Shikamaru was red. "What? I have to be the representative?"

His parents were beaming. "That's great! It'll teach you a lot, Son."

_Ugh... There goes my Shogi time... _

"Sweet! So Shikamaru's my advisor. Awesome! Thanks Shikamaru!"

_I never volunteered... _Shikamaru looked like he couldn't go any lower.

They immediately set up a hospital facility next to the gym, and the busy ninja trainings began. Those were already ninjas from other countries maintained their ranks, but for the new academy students, Naruto made a new test for Genin, Chuunin, and Jounin. Everyone was assigned a new sensei and partners after Naruto watched them spar. They had all brought enough money to sustain themselves and so their economy would be fine. Naruto maintained an isolationism policy, refusing all alliances until they were stable enough to maintain themselves. After all, they were a child learning to walk. Before one could accept help, one had to try and stabilize.

Naruto made the teams and final decisions about who would become what. The farming community along with the shops were doing fine on their own, busily unpacking and setting up prices accordingly. After all this was a new currency, so to speak. They were still using Ryo, but because they were a new country, they were starting on fresh slate. No debts, no inflation, no credibility either. They were paving the path for the first time, and didn't want to start off on the wrong foot. All the prices were low – for everything. Food, clothes, weapons. He kept everything at a much lower price than the other countries. At first, many complained, as the profits wouldn't be enough, but seeing that everything else had a rather low price as well, everyone made more than enough money to sustain themselves, and competition would ensure prices stayed low.

As for the hospital, he left everything in the hands of the head nurse, Ms. Haruno Sakura, of course. She was busily conducting exams to see who would or would not become a medic nin. As for the academy, he split the classes into four catagories – genjutsu, ninjutsu, taijutsu, and mission tactics. The fourth part was inspired by none other than Ero-Senin himself. Leadership is very important, and it's proven the younger you are, the easier it is to learn. So why not start with the kids, right? All of his Jounin friends received pupils, except Shikamaru who stayed to help him. Lee, though he now had pupils, became Head Administrator of Taijutsu – merely observing and correcting the curriculum if necessary. Shikamaru himself became H.A (Head Administrator) of mission tactics, Sakura H.A. of genjutsu, and ninjutsu? Why Naruto himself. Naruto had a knack for learning ninjutsu, and he wanted to help his village in every way he could.

That night Naruto slept on his fluffy bed happy. He had just become Shodaime kage. Tomorrow brought hope. It was the first day of the village. He made it into a holiday – kind of like Independence Day. _I need to enjoy the sleep while I can. Won't be long before I get to be like Baa-chan. Heh... Although the council here is much nicer considering we're all from different villages, and the power is balanced out evenly, so no matter. Plus, this village is much smaller thank Konoha, so I doubt I'll be as busy..._

Naruto couldn't have been more incorrect.

All around the countries word spread like wild fire. There's a new village which has everything for a super low price. They had a seemingly infinite amount crops all for such incredibly low pricing standards (all thanks to the packing jutsu, of course.) People flocked over to the valley, only to discover nothing. Soon enough Naruto let people come in, little by little for their commerce until it grew. During peak season people often made more than their life savings. And the new competition knocked stole other villages profits like vacuum suctions.

All was going well – all but one area:the shinobi area. Of course, missions were going fine, and their new village had a great reputation for successful missions. Rarely did one fail. However, all the other villages were doing the same.

"Naruto, we aren't getting ahead in anyway against the other villages." Shikamaru noted.

"Oh, don't worry. We will. After all in just a couple of months –"

"The Chuunin Exams..." Shikamaru smiled.

"Exactly. Our replacement war results will speak for themselves."

"One problem: sixty percent of our population is shinobi. This exceeds by far every other shinobi village. Don't you see the problem?"

"Well, yes. We may not have enough food and other recources, but my packing jutsu fixes that." Naruto said, oblivious to his subordinate's point. "What?"

"Naruto... Pay attention. We have 300 genin for the upcoming Chuunin Exam. Konoha has increased their final tournament to let in 100 people since we last took it six years ago. However, 200 will not make it. Now while we may still have a greater number than the other villages, our goal is _not _ to defeat them, but to excel at our own growth. For that we need high percentage success rates."

"Ah, relax. There's a reason I made allies with all of our neighboring countries... And it's only to put Danzou on edge. We will send all of our genin to different countries. For now, we'll send this batch to Konoha. Later, six months from now, we'll send the ones that didn't pass to Mist. Six months later, to Wind country with Gaara. Unfortunately, by the time the third batch will have gone to Wind, another batch of genin will come from the academy. But it's the best we can do. 60 success rate is better than all the other villages. Besides, we only have so many this time because so many were already Genin when they moved here. Our next batch won't be as large. So the percentage will be even higher. Either way we're blowing the other guys out of the water."

"Hm..." Shikamaru said, deep in though. _Naruto's really serious. He may look like he's fooling around, but he put a lot of thought into this... I doubt he made it up just now. He was awake all of last night.. Heh... He'll be a good kage for sure. But I'm afraid of Konoha... Danzou won't take lightly to us stealing profit and defeating them. He won't care for alliances... When the time comes, we may have to declare war on Konoha... That won't be pleasant. Especially since Naruto has roughly half of Tsunade-sama's temper... In this case, even half will be deadly. How does Shizune-san do it..._ He voiced his thoughts aloud regarding Danzou and Konoha, but Naruto didn't answer.

"I'll think about it..." _I want to... get it off my mind for now..._

Taking his kage uniform, he walked over the fun area where he saw children playing. He smiled, longing for one of those carefree days again. The grass was cool, gently waving in the wind. The beautiful waterfall could be seen in the background, it's ever flowing thunderous water heard by everyone softly. Kami-sama had blessed today, for the sun shone brightly, spreading its rays of warmth over all those carefree minds that ran around. Naruto drifted into a flashback about Konoha...

_Naruto watched the kids run around. _

_"Come on, Ino! Let's play tag!"_

_"Fine. SAKURA'S IIIIT!"_

_As if on cue, they all dispersed from 'it.' They danced around with flowers in their hair while running as fast as their little feet could carry them. Sitting in the cool shade, Naruto longed to run with them... Just once. To be carefree like that – to have friends... To not worry about a single thing... To feel the wind on his face with people he trust... The meaningless laughter and giggles that somehow made sense to them at that point, but ceased after the playing stopped... Just... once..._

"Naruto-sama!" Naruto was awoken by a voice.

"Hey Ikari! What's up?"

"Naruto-sama Naruto-sama! Come play with us!"

"You want me to play?" Naruto asked in a teasing voice.

Simultaneously, the six or seven heads nodded up and down.

"All right... I guess I _could _put away my work and CATCH YOU!" Naruto ran after them and they all giggled, running away as fast as they could. Soon enough Naruto rounded up all the little bundles of joy and threw them up into his trusting element. With chakra, he managed to give them a good roller coaster, bouncing and turning and spinning with his every whim. Finally, they all huggled around him, giving a thank you hug.

"Again again again!" they chimed.

Naruto laughed. "_Again_?"

"Mm-hm!" they nodded.

_They have no idea how much energy that took. _Nevertheless, Naruto agreed. "All right, but this is the _last _time." With the instant cheering Naruto threw them up again as they shook their little feet, trying to see could 'eat the most air.' Three hundred "_Last time_!"s later, Naruto lay on the ground, panting.

Eventually, he resumed his walk, and approached a slightly older batch.

"Hey, what's up guys?"

"Naruto-sama! Finally, come on!"

"Come on where?"

"Truth or dare of course!" the girls said.

He raised an eye and looked at the boys.

"He agreed!" one boy pointed to the other.

Laughing, Naruto agreed. "Fine, let's play. But I go first."

"Fine."

"Um... Kira, truth or dare."

She gulped. Normally, no one would play with a kage. In fact, they would deliberately avoid the kage. But Naruto wasn't like other kages. In fact, they all got to know him quite well in his acceptance speech that he was a major pranker. And she knew this. "Truth." Then again, Naruto did love teasing people, and he kept up with all the latest rumors. Crossing her fingers, she closed her eyes, praying.

"All right." Naruto began thinking. She was a lightning person. "So, we all know you used to go outside during a thunderstorm and try to catch lightning because your jutsus wouldn't work."

She turned red. "Yes... The question?"

"Well, we also all know that your first kiss Naomi, on accident... I think, when you were practicing your jutsus..."

She gritted her teeth. Man she was going to pound him. "Yesh..." Tomato.

"Did you electrify her with your shocking lips?"

She let out a sigh. That was it. Thank Kami-sama. "No."

"So you used tongue! I can't believe it!"

"What? I didn't... I didn't say that!"

"Well, you were charged up with electricity, and electricity goes to the highest conductive, active area – while kissing, either the lips, or... your tongue. Why? Because Naomi was also charged up with the same charge, and so she didn't get hurt meaning it had to go inside her. Surface contact would've still burned her... You put _something_ inside her... Tongue..." Naruto smiled.

Caught. "Okay fine!" She was red with rage.

_Wow... It actually worked... Heh, and all that crap worked! I can't believe it, I was lying through my teeth... I am so good... _Naruto put on a smug face.

"Naomi, your turn."

"Naruto-_teme_..."

Naruto smiled. "Bring it."

"Truth or Dare?"

"_Dare_..."

There was excitement now. Everyone knew of Naruto's crazy dares... And all the kids knew of his screwed up love life. "Okay, then... I dare you to kiss Sakura Sensei –"

Naruto turned pale.

Oh, was revenge sweet. "In front of Lee-san..." she finished, smiling evilly.

"Remind me why I'm doing this again?" spoke quietly.

"Because if you win, she has to do your laundry for a year... And if you do it without telling Sakura Sensei it was a dare, you are crowned king of all dares and pranks..." The boy whispered back.

Naruto gulped. "And if I die?"  
The boy shrugged. "Tough luck."

Naruto turned white. _Shit... Crap... Fuck... This was not good... _Naruto confidently walked up to Sakura, who was talking to Lee. "Oh, hey Naruto! What's up?"

"Naruto-kun! You are lit with the spirit of youth today!"

"Um, yeah, okay guys... I'm really sorry about this – it was a dare..." _There goes my crowning of king of all dares and pranks... And here goes my life. _Naruto moved to grab Sakura, but she moved back to get a scalpel and Lee moved in to hug Naruto... Naruto's lips landed flat on Lee's. Naruto poofed away that instant.

3...

2...

1...

"NARUTO-TEME! GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE THIS INSTANT!"

"Run!" and he ran off along with five genin following him.

Naruto to went to bed that night in peace. His village had repaired the missing hole in his heart – to a certain extent, and he was sure more bandages were to come. It was something Konoha never did for him. Naruto not only retained his old friends, but made new ones. That night he had a dream...

_Naruto looked at the Grand Gates of Konoha, and for the first time, felt proud. He was a kage, entering one of the most powerful countries. As he walked through the streets of Konoha in fine silk clothes, people awed at him. Yes, he was getting respect, but he no longer cared for how much these villagers gaped at him. No, he was a leader of his village – and he would lead his village to success. He no longer desired Konoha... And for the first time, he wasn't sure if he really was going to come back or not. Love? Yes, he loved his village... He always would... But he wasn't sure if the village loved him anymore. He would die for it – any day, without thinking... He would simply take his life and jump off the cliff if it saved Konoha... But now he had a duty – a duty to his village, to the people of the village, and to himself. If necessary, he would move on..._

Waking up to a start, he found it was already six o' clock. _Damn it..._

"Danzou-sama, it appears there's a new village allied with the Sand."

"A new village?"

"Hai."

"You mean the one stealing all our trade?"

"Eheh... Well, yes."

"So, we already knew of this?"

"That's... That's not where it ends, Danzou-sama." The messenger gulped. "It appears they have declared an alliance with all their neighboring countries – Wind, Mist, and Lightning... They pretty much are allied with all of our allies... We're going to have to consent with them. And... They are participating in the upcoming Chuunin Exams."

Danzou almost fell over. "What are they, another Sparta..." he mumbled. "They're a new village, how many new genin can they have?"

"That's what is troubling." Tsunade now came in. "It appears they specialize in military, and they have a sixty percent population of shinobi... They have three-fourths ours, and since their curriculum has a mix of all nations' jutsus... Including ours... We may face problems." Tsunade surprisingly smiled. "Well, Danzou-sama, since it was your idea to exile Naruto, and it's his village, and now that you have taken all authority from me... You deal with the problem. We're losing 30 profits from other trades a month to them _alone_... Apparently they are mass producing all goods, though I have no idea where they get all that land. And now a shinobi crisis. Good luck." And she walked off happily.

Danzou frowned. This was _not_ going well – to say the least.

Naruto stood in front roughly three hundred genin. "Well guys, this is what we've been waiting for. Each time has one medic, a defense, and an offense. To say the least we are much more prepared than the other villages... This is what you've been training for. The Chuunin exams. You left your villages for all different reasons, you have all different cultures, and you have come from all different locations... But we're in this thing together now. We've worked hard to earn our place among the five great nations. And yes, we're not a threat yet – we're barely something people can notice. But we've risen faster than any village before, and we will _keep_ rising. So although we're so different, that's what makes us unique. Everyone of you have been taught jutsus from all different locations, techniques from various clans, strategies from differing great minds... All in all, you're prepared for everything. This is your chance to shine, your chance to make a starting appearance – and all in all, I have on thing to say. And that is... Let's kick ass!"

A thundering roar followed Naruto's short speech, as they each, three by three stepped into Naruto's seal which transported them to Konoha. In fact, Naruto had placed so many seals he ensured the only way in and out of the valley was by seals and jutsus. The Chuunin Exams were to begin, and Forest nins would earn a place in the world – a very high place, soon enough...

yay! that's it! so submit votes now! '' sorry. anyways. yup yup, hoped you liked it. narugaara moment in there as well as a narusaku and a _tiny_ narusasu (when naruto thinks about sasuke, but has to force him out of his mind ''). so, yeah. harem until this point. and the final pairing is -- narutome! (wait, i'm a guy...) never mind:P we'll find out next chappie. but vote!

current score: narusaku winning by 1! come on gang! we all love narusasu, right! vote:P i'm biased, yes. no i'm kidding. either one works find for me. BUT! keep this in mind.

if narusasu -- leesaku. if narusaku, gaaralee... yeah... and sasuke will go cry in a corner and die. :P yeah. '' but i may/may not cut out gaaralee, depending on how the story progresses. (may be we can vote again!) :P well, hope you enjoyed. special thanks to my beta, Sir Whirly! (first chappie that has been beta-ed! yay me!) well, that's why it took a little longer than last time. '' so sorry.


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